MOGADISHU, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A remote-controlled bomb went off near a meeting hall where the National Constituent Assembly was discussing a new constitution and elections, police said Friday.
No one was hurt in the explosion, which came amid tight security and was heard in parts of the capital, police officer Mohamed Jama told Xinhua.
"The bomb was planted under a wall outside the area where the delegates were meeting. No one was hurt in the blast, as it was a small one and just caused minor damage to a civilian vehicle nearby," Jama said.
Residents around the meeting hall, a former police academy, said they heard the explosion but did not see any emergency services.
The 825-member Assembly was meeting for the first time since Wednesday to debate a provisional constitution, which will lead to a new parliament and elections of a new president for war-torn Somalia.
Somali government and African Union (AU) peacekeeping troops have pledged to tighten security for the talks and the elections due before Aug. 20, when the transitional government ends its mandate.
Islamist insurgent group of Al-Shabaab vowed to disrupt the talks, which the international community has hailed as a "historic event." The group, however, has not claimed responsibility for the explosion so far.
The Al-Shabaab, which has links with Al-Qaida, has been pushed out of Mogadishu and surrounding areas by government forces and peacekeepers.
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